Dr. Sami Alshurafa is an Associate Professor in the Civil Engineering Department at the University of Pittsburgh in Johnstown. He received his Ph.D. in structural engineering from the University of Manitoba in 2012. Before joining the University of Pittsburgh, he was an Assistant Professor at Prince Sultan University in Riyadh and the American University of Al Khaimah in the UAE. Dr. Alshurafa is interested in developing new technology for designing and fabricating composite guyed structures, composite housings, and patentable construction tools. He has published many articles on developing guyed towers with advanced composite materials and glulam Tudor arches. His research interests include advanced composite materials, ambient housing technology, and rehabilitating old concrete and wood structures. In addition, Dr. Alshurafa is also interested in pedagogical methods and strategies, specifically those related to education-based management and interpersonal communication management.
Education & Training
- Ph.D., Civil Engineering, University of Manitoba, 2012.
- M.S, Civil Engineering, Dalhousie University, 2005.
- B.S., Civil Engineering, University of Gaza, 1999.
- Professional Engineer, Ontario Province, 2010.
- The master's certificate in Project management, York University, Toronto
- Residential Drafting and Design (RDAD), Loyalist College, Belleville, Canada
Representative Publications
- S. Alshurafa, H. Alhayek, D. Polyzois (2023). Development of GFRP Monopole Guyed Communication Tower, Journal of Composites for Construction ASCE, v 27, Issue 1. Publisher (ASCE)
- S. Alshurafa, H. Alhayek, D. Polyzois (2022). Dynamic Characteristics of an 8.6m Lightweight FRP Tower Supporting Mass on its Top, Journal of Marine Structures, v 79, September 2021, 103052. Publisher (Elsevier)
- S. Alshurafa, H. Alhayek, D. Polyzois (2021). Static Characteristics of Multi Cells Jointed FRP Tower with Mass on its Top, Mechanics of Advanced Materials and Structures, Published online: v28, Issue 3, pp. 229-236. Publisher (Taylor and Francis)
- S. Alshurafa, A. Rose, D. Polyzois (2020). Effects of icing, prestressing and laminate buckling stresses on the design of guyed towers, Mechanics of Advanced Materials and Structures, v28 Issue 21, pp. 2229-2241. Publisher (Taylor and Francis)
- S. Alshurafa, H. Alhayek, D. Polyzois (2019). Parametric Study on The Strength and Stiffness of FRP Meteorological Guyed Towers, Mechanics of Advanced Materials and Structures, v26, Issue 16, pp. 1403-1410. Publisher (Elsevier)
- S. Alshurafa, H. Alhayek, D. Polyzois (2019). Finite Element Method for The Static and Dynamic Analysis of FRP Guyed Tower, Journal of Computational Design and Engineering, v6, Issue 3, pp. 436-446. Publisher (Elsevier)
- S. Alshurafa, D. Polyzois (2019). Design Recommendations and Comparative Study of FRP And Steel Guyed Towers, Engineering Science and Technology, an International Journal, v21, Issues 5, pp. 807-814. Publisher (Elsevier)
- S. Alshurafa, D. Polyzois (2018). An Experimental and Numerical Study into the Development of FRP Guyed Towers, Composite Structures, v201, pp. 779-790. Publisher (Elsevier)